Turkey's Pork Butchers Disappearing
TURKEY - The role of Islam in Turkish society is a subject of continual debate. Secularists are protesting against what they see as the government's increasingly Islamic agenda, and as Sarah Rainsford found out, the latest battleground could be across the butcher's counter.
28 April 2008
2 minute read
"We're going filming at a pork butcher's and a pig farm," I told my Turkish cameraman in a text message. Slightly anxious, I added: "Is that OK with you?"
A moment later a message from Gokhan flashed back.
"Yes," he wrote. "I like a good pork steak!"
He is not the only one.
Another Turkish friend told me that eating pork, which is forbidden by Islam, is increasingly popular in secular high society here.
She described this as an act of defiance by some Turks, who fear religious dictates have begun creeping into their lives since a government led by devout Muslims took power.
